Its great how you set an good example for people and teach people how to incorporate thought for the animals and bugs. Its not just Joel's garden its natures garden too!
Hi Lewis, I think that's got to be one of the nicest things anyone's said to me :) Thank you so much - I started the channel at the beginning of the pandemic (lockdown) to help people that were stuck at home, but the underlying reason was to encourage people to think about how much they could help our creatures desperately in need right now. Comments like yours make it all worthwhile - thank you. Joel
As soon as you said “I’m going to be showing you how to make a woodland border” I got my thumb ready to pause the video and take notes! Your woodland garden looks so beautiful. What a transformation! Lovely to see the jay there too!
Haha! Brilliant :) The Jay really was the icing on the cake and the day after I placed the peanuts in the crevices he was straight down - have some photos of him that I'll put in the next update. A male Wren has made a nest in the base of the ivy covered wild rose too. He's very proud of it and telling all who will listen :) Lots of updates to come - thank you again for all your encouragement and support - Joel
Thank you, they'd been laying in the yard for a few years and I knew that I could use them for the benefit of wildlife at some point, I just didn't want them wasted - will be bringing lots of updates on this and the other areas of the back and front gardens. Best wishes, Joel
Wow, thank you so much Tony. I am so grateful that you've taken the time to let me know, it really does make it all worthwhile. Welcome to the channel, you'll find a great community here. If you go to "videos" on the home page of the channel you'll see the library of uploads there - should keep you busy for a little while but if you ever need help or advice then please feel free to ask :) Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
Probably good to realise that in many areas "most people" don't have a garden that's that big. A lot of people live in rental flats. I get that if your job is to design gardens, you get to see a lot of big ones :). I also appreciate your advice for small gardens though! And your front garden looks a bit more like a good sized back garden around where I live, so plenty of inspiration. (Might be a bit painful for example for young people who have a pretty slim chance of buying something like that to say "I'm sure we all have an area like this")
@@andrewconnolly4084 Haha, no, sorry, didn't mean to say I'm offended! In the Netherlands it's just a big thing for the last few years that young people can't buy houses, let alone ones with gardens. So I was a bit surprised by the "you know we all have gardens like this" tone in the video. By far the most important thing is that we improve our outdoor spaces for wildlife, so I still think it's a good video! But it would be useful to know that at least part of the audience lives in a slightly different world, so more small garden / balcony stuff is useful.
Hi there Sjoerd, I do understand - I have been filming other videos regarding small spaces and containers etc to help and encourage everyone. It is the same here with new build properties, the smallest of gardens, to ensure the maximum of houses in a space can be profited from further. Older houses here, of course, like mine are not large in comparison to many, but they are more usual due to the time in between the Wars (1920s etc) when people were bombed out of London and spread further out - there was so much more land available then and a mass of house building in the outer areas of the cities. I hope that the front garden will show people how they can be, not always practical for a back garden of course as space is important to people for sitting outside/relaxing but there will be more videos to come :) Thank you for your input though, it's important. Best wishes, Joel
This is the loveliest mini woodland garden I've ever seen! It has a very special ambience 🤗, absolutely brilliant Joel! The wood vetch is going to love it there 😁. And that jay! That was so rewarding, to see life moving straight in to your new area. Out if interest, could this sort of mini woodland be done with species such as silver birch, aspen and scots pine? I know these aren't generally recommended as they can get very big; but just wondering if these species are able to be managed and kept smaller somehow too? Also - bluebells and wood anemones have got to be the ultimate combination! 🤩🌿🐛🦋
I have tried 'managing' Scot's Pine to keep them small, and it doesn't work. They get leggy and horrible looking. I think it's because of the fact they have long needles and long bare stems between needle growth nodes. Other conifer species with smaller needles that decorate side branches as well as clustering on branch ends work a lot, lot better. I have a number of different conifer species that I prune back, all of them small needled types (and now I'm using these to replace the Scot's Pine). Some of these I have grown from cones I've picked up in the woods and originate from towering trees - yet they have never minded being pruned to size. Silver Birch should be fine too. I have quite a number of those, some in shady areas clustered among pines and rhododendrons, and have coppiced a couple right down to ground level. Do be careful 'when' you choose to coppice them. I was rather too late in the season with my favourite Birch tree last year and it literally bled to death (which is so frustrating because it had a really good thing going with Boletes and Fly Agaric. So I have quickly planted a new Silver Birch nearby in the hope they make up a new happy association). Normally, a Silver Birch copes well with coppicing down to the ground. It was just an unfortunate thing that we were getting some savage storms at the time, the tree was in an elevated position and large enough to do some real damage if it fell across our roof.
Hi there @Eywa's Daughter :) Thank you so much re the woodland garden, there's still a few shrubs and climbers of yours that I am trying to find space for! Your generosity is appreciated every day I see them :) Debbie is right re the Birch, that should do well with coppicing and Aspen too, but as Debbie says too the Scot's Pine won't take well to it. And yes, Bluebells and Wood Anemones are pretty unbeatable. Hope you and the family are well, best wishes - Joel
thanks so much for posting! this is most of us: don't have enough time and resources to maintain a perfectly manicure garden. but we do what we can. you have inspired me to do more in my garden for wild life. thanks for sharing!
Hi there - thank you so very much. Comments like yours really do make everything worthwhile, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave encouragement - best wishes, Joel
How rewarding, to see the before and after transformation and to see wildlife quickly taking advantage on the newly planted and constructed habits! Great job mate!
Absolutely it is - rather typically just after filming the Jay turned up and started taking the peanuts out of the crevices, managed to get a few shots of him from kitchen window. Will include in next video about it, oh and a fabulous little Wren made a nest inside the bird box I placed right at the bottom of that old Dog Rose. I can't wait to show everyone the updates and how the border is filling out. Best wishes, Joel
Thank you Mark, I really appreciate that. Yes, one day later and the Jay was extracting the peanuts from the crevices in the standing Oak. I managed to get some photos - will include in update, as well as a male Wren making a nest inside that pruned wild rose :) Best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement - Joel
Looks absolutely magical, and such an inspiration! I wish there was a slide with names of all the plants in that little area, going to try and see what I can figure out! ❤
Hi Jelena, thank you so much - I really must find time to do an update video on this, it's looking fantastic right now! I work away all week on client projects all over the country so it's difficult to fit everything in at weekends. I really will try to put plant names up in future but it does take longer of course - however, if there's a time-stamp in the video where you are struggling please let me know and I'll be happy to help - it would be better to email me at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com as notifications on YT are sporadic. Very best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement and support - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonthank you so much for responding! You're too kind! I'll see what I can work out myself going through your website and from the names you mention on the video, and then if I can't, I'll message for help! ☺️
The rail didn't keep out luna. If you can she can lol. Looks great. A mini show garden. Dug up my spanish bluebells today. Want to replace with native bluebells. Cant beat them.
That made me laugh! And you're right... Luna cannot bear to be less than 12 inches from me, but thankfully it has deterred them, as long as I'm not in that part of the garden they seem to leave it alone now (what's the betting they now trash it?!). Agreed re our native bluebells :) Best wishes, Joel
That is just fabulous Joel. Excellent demonstration of what can be achieved in a small shady space. I've got plenty of logs from our cherry being decrowned a couple of years back. Not as large as yours but I've had them upright but resting on the soil I shall bury them now. We have found lesser stag beetles in our garden, so hopefully they'll find them.
Thank you Tracey, it doesn't matter re the size, it's the habitat and the rotting part (you know this already :) - lots of creatures will find those. Let me know who visits! Best wishes, Joel
Lovely use of an otherwise difficult part of your garden. I've pretty much done exactly the same, in a space about the same size, now that I've had my two monstrous 70 foot eucalyptus trees cut down. I planted 3 silver birch in the centre, and surrounded them with dogwood and willow, buddleia, lilac and a crab apple. Underplanted with cow slips, dead nettle, verbascum, foxgloves and Aubretia. I may have also found room for a cheeky clump of gorse.😊 Temporarily dog proofed with cundy posts and wire until I can afford the DIY estate fencing I hanker after 😅
Haha! I hear you. Loud and clear. Frank can clear the field-gate to the right of the fence, gazelle fashion. Luna is almost cat-like when weaving her way from one side of the garden to the other. Your area sounds brilliant, and great underplanting. Same as you, I'd never have them any other way, but boy do they encourage creative thinking ;) Best wishes, Joel
That’s just fantastic mate. This is the video I’ve been looking forward to from your back garden , such a lovely area you’ve created . And the news about your verge not being cut by the council is the icing on the cake 😁😁
Thank you :) I'm pretty chuffed about the council, well the contractors to be fair, but whether they disappoint while I'm not there is another thing. I'll keep everyone updated. Speak soon - Joel
Thank you Andrew, so much - I've learned a new saying thanks to you, and I really do appreciate it :) Welcome to the channel, we have such a great community here and I'm glad you're part of it. Best wishes, Joel
A marvellous watch and listen Joel from start to finish. The exciting possibilities and potential of bare soil. Great to see you rewarded by that beautiful Jay taking advantage of your foresight 👍😊. Magical back garden woodland edge. Thank you Joel for sharing. p.s. Gorilla planting is good. Paul 🙏😊👍❤️
Absolutely ❤️ your video. The 🐕 🐕 are so lovely 😊 . 👍🏻 news about the council doing that yippee 👏🏻. I’ve got flowering plants 🪴 that were originally a cutting from my mother in law who lives 5mins down the road. Last year it was buzzing with 🐝 & this year it’s growing through the bottom garden 🪴 fence. Let’s 🙏🏻 that the council keep their word .about not cutting it. If they do I’ll be angry 😤. When it grows I’ll send you photos on Twitter
Thank you Janie - good luck with the council, I am sure they'll get the idea - let's just hope there's not a flurry of mowing come 1 June and all those insects/creatures that have found habitat/food won't be culled along with the flowers. Things are changing, for the better I hope. Best wishes, Joel
When you doing your own wildlife pond In Your BACK garden then?! ?! We’d love to see it in hen you do! (Especially as the front looks great and simply structured but done well)
Brilliant Joe, I've watched several of your videos and find they are extremely informative and inspirational. Taken lots of notes for my own mini woodland, pond and wildflower meadow. Thank you for what you do.
Absolutely lovely! New sub here from Washington State in the Pacific Northwest. Your garden is reminiscent of what I love here. Thanks for your wonderful information. Looking forward to learning more. 🌲
Hi there Linda, so glad that you found us - we have a fantastic community here and it's so great to know that you're part of it. Lots of videos on the channel already - if you go to the home page and select "videos" you'll see the whole library. But more added regularly and lots of updates to come. Thank you for your kind words and support, I really appreciate it. Best wishes, Joel
Just wow... your woodland border looks absolutely spectacular. Imagine how absolutely beautiful it will become as it fills out. I do love your garden and all of the amazing wildlife gifts that fill it with pure delight:)
Hey Miche, thank you. I'm very pleased with it, and can't wait for it all to fill out and become established. Will be bringing regular updates, thanks for all your encouragement - best wishes, Joel
Hello Joel. Many thanks for another excellent how-to video. I followed your 3 part series on building a wildlife pond last year and it’s doing great. The pond is situated in a shady part of the garden. I will follow your advice on planting the area around the pond this year.
Hi there :) So pleased that you have a pond, and are clearly being rewarded for all your effort. It's so good to know there's another vital habitat out there. Remember that the closer shrubs and trees are to a pond the more likely you will have leaves in it come autumn, but it is easy to keep on top of - just a little note for when you're planning/spacing out etc. Hope this helps, and thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it makes a huge difference. Would love to see a few photos of the pond if you get a chance, enquiries@wildyourgarden.com. Best wishes, Joel
it’s absolutely stunning!! fabulous job. the big gnarly logs and bark add so much in terms of aesthetic and habitat. that’s one thing I would really love more of in my garden, but find hard to get especially without a car. definitely going to steal some ideas from this to improve my shady area 🌳
Hi there, so glad this was helpful and that you enjoyed it :) I would ask a local tree surgeon/landscape company if they have any logs they could drop off for you... I don't recommend taking from existing habitat as that defeats what we're trying to do, but do ask around. Thank you for the support - best wishes, Joel
Superb job a great variety of trees and shade loving plants The log idea worked well and gives it an instant maturity The jay obviously thinks so ! I have tried a similar idea using Alder Birch dogwood Rowan interspaced with viburnum guelder rose There’s an alleyway over the back fence that used to contain some huge trees that the council sadly chopped down, so I like to think I’m replacing it Im totally stoked to see any bird perching on any of my trees Still working on my big pond but constant rain has made difficult progress can’t wait for your new website also Keep up these brilliant vids !!!
Thank you Kevin, I really do appreciate all your support and encouragement, it really does make a difference. Yep, there's no better feeling than seeing a creature benefitting from something you've done :) The website is available now, it's just that in the background they're working on making it much faster - everything's available there though - www.wildyourgarden.com. I empathise completely re rain and trying to get ponds dug! ;) Best wishes, as always - Joel
Wow so much into such a small space. I’m slowly replacing some of (to me) boring foreign ever green shrubs I inherited with my garden with natives. Two down so far, replaced with a wayfaring tree and a dogwood but I didn’t think I could get so much in. Next up is a hazel to go in but I might try and fit a few more in that space too now.
Hi there :) Yep, I do like close-planting, particularly with these small trees/shrubs - I will coppice them rotationally to keep them in check but also to provide more cover for the house sparrows from the Sparrow Hawk - he knows they hide in the buddleja at the moment and I know I've got to do some surgery on that at some point, but want to ensure there is alternative cover before I remove anything else. I'll be doing update videos on this area in amongst the back and front garden updates, so stay tuned :) Best wishes, Joel
Hi there - I certainly do... can you send me an email to enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and let's see what we can do :) Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
Awesome in the shady part of my garden I have lesser celandine and bluebells and I'm thinking of adding some red campion that I potted up last year and it's got massive so I'm going to split it up and move parts of it same with my massive clump of forget me nots
Yes! Absolutely this. Only this evening I sprinkled forget-me-not seeds in this area :) Definitely a good place for the Campion too. Thanks for your encouragement, best wishes - Joel
Haha, thanks Denise, I really appreciate it. Yes, if I'm very honest I have circa 200 videos to now upload, I am constantly filming when working around the country but working nationally means I am rarely home during the week and you know how weekends get taken up. But I have another video this evening, and the woodland border update is already filmed, just need to edit and upload. Hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thanks for your reply Joel. I totally get it. Hats off to you for all you do put out! I started a second channel and only released about 7 videos, I’ve so many waiting to be edited. It’s a mission! Super grateful for all you’ve shared sweetheart, thank you. Hope your weekend is great too and I that there’s been time for you in there as well 😁😘
@@innerpeacewithdenise111 You're very welcome, keep at it with the channel as it does take time, it can be thankless at times but receiving messages like yours make it all worthwhile, they really do. Still editing tonight's video but determined to get it uploaded, even if it has to be around 9pm...! Thanks for all your support and encouragement, I really do appreciate it. Best wishes, Joel
Having a big pain flare today so have done bugger all except sit and watch multiple blue butterflies, and various bee types, tiny birds, and either swallows or Swift's( I always mix them up) low down above my bungalow roof. Took a few pics of plants .I may try to get seed trays sorted before dark. 🙏♥️ I love your wildlife videos, I've learned a lot! Thankyou
Hey Helena :) That sounds like a perfect day to me, without the pain of course - I'm sorry to hear that. The way I identify is that Swifts are a black sickle shape above and the Swallows have a white stomach and longer tail - I hope this helps a bit. I'm so grateful for your encouragement and support - hope you have more pain free days ahead. Best wishes, Joel
A lovely project piece (especially with the benefit of the canine management and supervision team on hand!) The logs for the beetles not just beneficial but also artistically placed. I planted a row of around a dozen Guelder Roses several years ago, love the bright red of the almost translucent berries and the startling red Autumn colour. Only yesterday, was delighted to find two self-sown seedlings nestled in the (non-mown!) grass a dozen feet away. It's always a pleasant surprise to find treasured shrubs and trees finally self-sowing around the garden. I do like the idea of pushing peanuts into cracks in the logs to attract Jays. Jays fly over my garden every day, but never stop here (not that I know of anyway). So I am definitely going to do that. I guess that putting the peanuts in a log of that size will also attract predatory birds to hang around and mop up the extra mice and voles that will also be attracted to the peanuts. (Do watch out for that Wild Garlic. We have tons of it around here and it can swamp out other wild flowers quite quickly if not kept under reasonable control).
Hi there Debbie, I planted another Guelder Rose in my garden this weekend, but it's so good finding all these "freebies" that so many plants give. Yes, Wild Garlic is certainly determined and I'm hoping that it being in my own garden means at least once a week I can keep an eye on it :) Frank and Luna... they definitely keep me on my toes. Hope you and yours are doing well, best wishes as always - Joel
Thank you Amir, so glad this was helpful and encouraging - I understand completely that your wonderful allotment takes work and by the time you get home... there's never enough time... and not enough space ;) Hope you're having a good weekend, catch up soon - Joel
That looks amazing Joel! I wasn’t sure how it was all going to come together in the beginning but I shouldn’t had wondered! It’s given me hope for my patch of permanent shade. I wonder though if those plants would do ok in a windy coastal garden? Looking forward to the update on it as it establishes. 👏🏻
Thank you very much :) I've been doing another border today for semi-shade/shady but one thing you can definitely do is use Sea Buckthorn, Gorse, Holly and Rowan... they're so important for wildlife. Hope this helps, more updates to come - thank you for your support and encouragement, Joel
Thank so much for the suggestions I will check them out. I have an idea of what will do well but just wondering what I can get away with 😅 as I miss the woodland being so close to the coast. All the best!
Sorry about that Keith, it's no doubt a default. But drop me a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and I'll ensure you get one, signed if you like :) Hope to hear from you soon, best wishes - Joel
I really appreciate this help Kevin, I'm so grateful for everyone's encouragement and to know that between us all we are spreading the message further makes all this worthwhile. Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
I laughed at the text bubble “my attempt at dog proofing this border” when I realized they were both inside of it, lol. I feel your pain. I have two huskies destroying my yard and have decided to let them have the turf, going to let them dig it up and destroy it since they are young. Then in a year I’ll plant it as a meadow since they killed turf for me. I’ve put taller fencing around veggie and flower beds for now. The funny thing is I made them a big dedicated digging area-a sand pit and filled it with toys and they don’t touch it 😂
Haha! Yes, like kids... sometimes the cardboard box is more useful than the toy ;) He didn't appear in this video (he's 15 now) but Sirius, is our rescue from Romania, a Malamute/GSD cross - I think the GSD part keeps him in check! Good luck with the lawn and maybe they really are doing you a favour by prepping the land :) Best wishes, Joel
Thanks Joel for your great videos. After watching your channel last year I decided to go wild! It’s amazing what comes up and I am learning the names of lovely things I used to pull up,like herb Robert and ragwort. The brambles I have cut back for years gave me a good yield last year. Now, I am being entertained by the birds feasting on the box hedge caterpillar that is back again. The hedge looks awful but the birds love it
So good to read this! Thank you so much, it sounds like you're reaping the rewards from your efforts and I'm so pleased you're getting so much enjoyment out of it. I really do appreciate your support and encouragement. Best wishes - Joel
I see you have a mal Joel,fences,walls will not stop a mal if they want to go somewherei buy my mals from Colombia incredible dogs,as always,looking forward to seeing how the garden blooms.cheers
Colombian Malinois - I'd show those respect ;) You're right, Luna is a little smaller than the usual - no doubt runt of a litter and of no value so a rescue. Frank the malinois/GSD mix was basically living in a cupboard in a car repair garage. Amazing dogs, just not so cohesive with a romantic style of gardening ;) Thanks for your support James, appreciated.
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton hahahahaha,special forces use them for a reason,well done for rescuing them,people dont know what to do with mals if they have no experience with the breed,im trained and certified to US Police Force level,you can switch them on and off in a heart beat.well done Joel.
@@jamescunningham1973 Thank you James, I've seen a fair few videos now of why these dogs are used and their agility. My soon to be wife was brought up with GSDs, Malamute etc so she's sucker for "pointy eared" dogs and when we saw Luna and Frank basically advertised on a second-hand site (!) we couldn't not give them a home. Can I send them to you for additional training? ;) Would love to meet your dogs one day. Best wishes, and thanks again - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton i live in Guatemala Joel,been here 17yrs,however i am now looking to come closer to home,France or Italy,my dogs belong to the security company i work for,theyre drug search dogs thats why i buy from Colombia,ready trained,but i will be getting one once i move and settle in somewhere,also if i have any garden ,first thing is a wild life pond👍cheers joel
Thank you, I hope this inspires other people to make this kind of habitat if they have a "difficult" shady area :) Hope you had a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
You're very welcome Mags, just so glad that more and more people are planting/gardening with wildlife in mind - I've been doing this for 18 years now and seeing the change in the last few years has been incredible, it really does spur me on :) Best wishes, and thank you - Joel
Thank you JB, that means a lot. I'd been saving those two limbs at the yard after one of the storms. Needless to say the Jay turned up the following day and took the peanuts from the crevices - managed to get some photos. I really do appreciate your support, the channel has grown more than I ever imagined and it's such a great community here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton ahhh amazing!! That is brilliant to hear. I adore those photos of your garden in full leaf too. I'm slowly trying to win my fiance over to planting some trees in the garden and that picture will help a lot!
Ahh I only just got to the part in the video with the Jay!!! What a beauty. And I absolutely love how big your channel is growing and the message you are spreading, doing brilliant work pal 👌👌
Thank you so much, all of the above :) I hope we can meet up some day. Do please keep in touch (I have many wife-convincing methods to share! ha!). Best wishes, Joel
Thank you Michelle, glad you liked this :) Luna and Frank have a lot of comedy value... every time I discarded a plant pot Luna thought it meant that she had to bring them back to me :/ They've not been in the border since I planted it, but if they see the squirrel any fencing will be negated ;) Best wishes - Joel
Thank you Susan - I planted a Silver Birch in the front garden, you might have seen it in the background in more recent videos about progress - but they're one of the most beautiful trees and so good for wildlife. I filmed another video at the weekend about other plants for shady borders etc and hopefully will be able to bring that to you soon :) Thanks for your kind words, best wishes - Joel
Can't wait to see this flourish. I have the perfect spot to do a little area like this in my garden 😁 . Looks like I'll be going garden shopping! I'll look forward to seeing more of your garden updates. Very inspiring! 🌲🦋🐸🐦⬛
Thank you :) Yes, I can't wait for the plants to start spreading and filling in those gaps, but I will be doing updates regularly. Hope you had a good weekend - best wishes, as always - Joel
Hi Joel, the border looks amazing, will be interesting to watch it mature. Your dogs should have their own show, I have dog issues on a smaller scale, we have a Jack Russell, the pond is fenced off to stop him going for a swim. Looking forward also to your pond doubling in size and what you can do with it. Regards Keith
Without the fencing this show would resemble Gladiators! Every time I discarded a plant pot Luna interpreted it as "shall I bring this back?", and Frank just wants whatever Luna's got. Quite a circus. Can't wait to bring you all the updates on this, it was filmed between Feb and beg April so lots to share. Best wishes, Joel
Thanks Joel this is my my type of video as my garden is mainly shade. Love the idea of adding tall “dead wood” logs on the upright , they really add a new dimension. I have lined my paths with old logs which have rotted and I’ve noticed stag beetles hiding there. I’ve a lot of the perennials you’ve mentioned but learnt about a few more, wood vetch, and sticking iris, must try those out. Can’t wait for the updates and how you manage all those shrubs. Really enjoyed this as there must be lots of other people who don’t have enough sunshine to grow the “usual” plants for pollinators. You just inform us there are other ways of attracting wildlife into our gardens. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Gill, so glad that you enjoyed this video and that it was helpful, I've been making another video about semi-shade plants that attract wildlife too - just need to edit and compile bits and hopefully I can bring this to you soon :) I really appreciate your support and encouragement, it makes a huge difference. Many more updates to come. Best wishes, Joel
Absolutely brilliant video Joel. I’ve been waiting for this one and I was truly amazed at the wonderful wildlife area you created. Lots of inspiration so I’ll be out in the garden this weekend using some of your ideas. Thank you so much for helping us create such fantastic spaces for wildlife. I’m really looking forward to seeing your garden refresh. Thank you for sharing 🌺
Love your videos Joel. This one however makes me a bit uneasy - isn't it wrong to pack so many trees into such a small area? Surely they need space to spread.
Hi Ray, it does look that way and they are closely planted, but they will be coppiced routinely and made into more of a loose hedge if that makes sense. The buddleja needs cutting back for it's own sake soon and I want to provide alternative cover for the sparrows as our Sparrow Hawk knows exactly where they are ;) I will be doing regular updates and showing how it is maintained. Hope that helps explain a bit more - best wishes, Joel
Ahh this really made my day. I feel incredibly lucky after watching this, because I’ve got my own little mini woodland in the corner of my ‘ bird garden’ I made it about 5 years ago….well I’m saying I made it, but the trees & Ivy were already there. I just added rotten stumps & a couple of bushy things ( no idea what they are called) 🙈😂 we also have a huge Holly on the other side of the garden with more trees. We have masses of birds now, especially various finches, and recently ‘acquired’ a Bullfinch & his wife! We got way too excited about them, & named them Bob & Betty 😂 Your wee corner looks fabulous & the rest of the garden too! Great job Joel 👌👏
So good to read this Lynn, that sounds absolutely perfect and I have to confess I'm a little envious of the Bullfinch pair. Pleased to say that after filming (of course!) the Jay came and took the peanuts from the crevices and a male Wren has built a nest in the wild rose base that I left - I knew not to move it! Have footage but that will feature in the next update. Thanks so much for all your support, it really does make a difference. Best wishes, Joel
Just found your channel (via Wildlife Tracy’s channel!) & I’m loving all the ideas you have Joel. I have a lot of shady areas in my garden, so this has given me some great pointers for wildlife-friendly planting. 😊👍
Hi there! So glad you found us, we have a great community here, worldwide and I'm so glad you're a part of it. Tracy has been gardening with wildlife in mind for many years, isn't YT great for finding like-minded people :) Hope the channel is helpful, best wishes - Joel
Another excellent informative video Joel. The old oak tree made a wonderful, useful focal point. I was surprised to see how many trees and shrubs you managed to fit in that small space. Before watching this video, I would be frightened to have such small spacing between the plants as I am worried about their eventual height and spread. I am looking forward to the follow up videos explaining the management of this woodland.
Hi there John, thank you so much. Yes, I'd been waiting to use them for a long while and am glad I saved them. It does look dense planting, they will be coppiced on a rotational basis but I wanted to provide as much cover for the birds as possible - we have several Sparrow Hawks here and they know the sparrows are in that buddleja, before it grew to the size it is now they would crash into the French doors to try to grab prey. I like Sparrow Hawks but I wanted to give the sparrows and smaller birds a chance of refuge. Lots of update videos to come of this area, the rest of the garden and front garden too :) Thanks for all your support, it's appreciated - best wishes, Joel
Absolutely :) You can't see it here but I must have around 300 (!) Garlic Mustard (unintentionally) in the back garden right now, and it definitely works - hope you're doing well, best wishes - Joel
Me too Helen, it's much improved all round - you can still order everything you need right now, it's just that with the traffic we'd been experiencing people were saying it could be slow - only by about 1 second, but apparently that counts! ;) So glad the video helped, I've been doing another shady/semi-shade border this afternoon, all the plants are in - am just hoping the neighbours are quieter if I get up early, just so I can talk about the individual plants! Hope you're enjoying the weekend, best wishes - Joel
Hey Joel! Amazing how much you can fit in a small space and no doubt it will be full of wildlife in the blink of an eye! Love seeing the pups think they wanted to help you with the digging!! Mine decided to help out by trying to eat a geranium today! The front garden is looking great, so nice to see the bee finding it already. Look forward to seeing the pond makeover I have the same project in mind for mine. Hope you enjoy the bank hol, nice to see the sun at last. Best wishes.
Thank you :) Yes, I think the dogs did more tramping around the trees than I did! LOL at yours and the geranium. Pond makeover should be autumn time now (sweating about finding the time!) as there's just so much on and of course there will be less to do in general - but if I can miraculously fit it in sooner I will. Another video filmed this afternoon about a shady/semi-shady border, just need to creep out early tomorrow morning to film and talk about the plants as my neighbours were their usual unquiet selves today ;) I can't win... rain means they'll be inside... but so will I! Enjoy the rest of the holiday, take good care - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Ahhh neighbours, been in the same boat! Pace yourself, there's no rush, everything works out in the end. Take some time off and enjoy what you have. Best wishes.
Hi Joel. I want to say just how inspirational your videos have been for me. We live in a new build house. My husband and I did a great job of landscaping our mud pile of a back garden last year - but this year we’re keen to get going on the front garden. We’re lucky to face a forest… so there’s already lots of wildlife ready to encourage into our garden. I want to do a full on wildlife friendly meadow out the front and would love to add some deadwood tree stumps like yours for interest and habitat. Any ideas where I might be able to get something similar? Any advice would be great. Thank you!
Hi there :) Thank you so much for this, your encouragement and support means a lot. I guess I'm lucky in that I have a reclaim yard where I store any items I come across like this, usually from client gardens or limbs that have fallen on the farm where my yard is. I obviously don't advocate this being taken from the "wild", ie it will already be providing vital habitat for creatures and shouldn't be moved. But do try your local tree surgeons, it really is worth phoning them to see if they have anything suitable - although we don't want to start a "trend" where cutting down trees is even more profitable ;) I hope this helps, it might be worth looking on ebay sometimes too. Best wishes, and thanks again for your kind words - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks Joel. I’ll try my local surgeons. FYI - after watching your videos the hubby has decided he’s gonna dig a pond in our garden now. You’re definitely a good influence! 😄
@@emmacrocker2474 Oh, that's great - another vital habitat! Don't forget us at www.wildyourgarden.com when you need anything, including advice, we're happy to help :) Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
Hi there Sean, thank you so much. I'm not far from you I think, in Essex. But of course I work away a lot at this time of year. Please do drop me an email to enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com and we can definitely speak about arranging something :) Enjoy the rest of the weekend, best wishes - Joel
You are such an inspiration. This year I have decided to plant some native species in the little garden we have so I enjoy watching your videos to see what is possible. I would be really interested to see a "guerilla" gardening video about the strip in front of your house. We have a similar one and I was wondering what the best way to rewild it would be. For now I am thinking about poppies and cornflowers.
Hi there :) Thanks so much for this, comments like yours and people taking the time to encourage me really does make a difference, and I'm very grateful. I will definitely be doing updates on the verge outside, slightly nervous at the moment as I'm away from home and although the two contractors with the strimmers stopped for me and said they would relay to their mower-guy to leave the verge, there are no signs (I'm hoping to liaise with the council re this, as it's on public land etc) and they come down the road pretty fast - so fingers crossed. I would definitely write to the council first and let them know what you plan to do (the verge will need scarifying if you are to put seeds in so they don't have to compete with the grasses) - I wrote to mine, giving them 6 weeks notice of what I was going to do after the broadband contractors wrecked the verge - but they never responded, and I made clear in my email that if I heard no objection within 6 weeks I'd go ahead. Not sure if that means their approval or not ;) But stay tuned for updates and if you need any advice re plants/seeds etc then always feel free to drop us a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com - best wishes, Joel
This is the video I was looking forward to. I'm working on my front garden which gets the morning sun but then it does get shady when the sun moves round. I'm going to create a border and was thinking about what plants to put it. My soil is heavy clay so I might have to add some top soil and/organic matter. I've got a dog rose which I haven't planted so not sure how it got there ? It's staying though - squatters rights and all that! 😁
Haha re squatters rights! I agree though, what a lovely freebie :) I've done another video for you this afternoon, planting a shady border and including herbaceous perennials - and of course ALL beneficial to wildlife :) I've got to go back out there tomorrow to talk about the individual plants, then edit etc - but I'll try to get it to you for next Sunday. With the heavy clay, you can always dig some sharp sand through it, this helps it to crumble more and be more workable. Hope this helps, and am so glad you enjoyed this one. Best wishes, Joel
Hi there :) Thank you. I have three rescues, one a pure Malinois (she was clearly the runt of the litter and not lucrative enough for the breeder), we have Frank who's a Malinois/GSD and he was kept in a cupboard at a car repair station, our oldest is Sirius who does feature in other videos, he's a Malamute/GSD cross and came from Romania 12 years ago, he'll be 15 next March (fingers crossed). They're all wonderful and very grateful dogs :) Best wishes, Joel
I will get your book (hopefully signed 😂), but Iim always confused as to how tidy the wildlife gardens you visits it are. Mine is just full mostly of long grass and im scared of planting in such long grass!
Hi Dan, thank you, appreciated :) The trees and shrubs (aside from the Rowan which will be a stand-alone specimen) will be coppiced on rotation to provide cover and berries/blossom - best wishes, Joel
Joel (love your channel!), an item in my 'bucket list' is to see live stag beetles in the UK. Unfortunately still not crossed off. I live in the North West of England. Do you think there's any way that I could encourage them up here? Decaying oak logs I guess but I'll probably need to wait until global warming really kicks in.
Your dogs are beautiful, however I can totally sympathise to the damage they can do. I have a malinois and staffie. One digs, one makes dens and sticks. 🫣 I'm currently fencing a 3.5m strip (using steel panels they put into driveways). And my very first pond will be safely placed. I have a rotting wood and fern bed further in the shade. I look forward to seeing your other projects.
Yes! 1 x Malinois 1 x GSD/Malinois and 1 x GSD/Malamute here. All rescue and all worth it, although my opinion sometimes changes whilst planting... Well done on the new pond plans and the border, keep me updated! Best wishes, Joel
@Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton ahh ours are rehome too. Along with our cat. Well done making a difference. 🐾 I do mutter about small breeds occasionally. 🤣 I will do. I've got a raised planter/ pond that is a few years old. But Fenrir uses it as a water bowl. 💧 🤣 Have been binge watching your videos as am poorly today. 🤣
Hi Joel, new subscriber here. Been binge watching all your videos, getting loads of ideas for improving my garden. Next big job (for me) is a wildlife pond, can't wait. Love what you do, such an inspiration !!
Hello there :) Michelle, your comment sums up 100% the reason that I started this channel 3 years ago. I am so buoyed by everyone's support and knowing that there are more habitats being made. I really appreciate your kind comments and encouragement. Best wishes, Joel
Hi Nicholas, that rose is about 12 years old now, and possibly not planted by the previous owners. I think you saw the size it can grow to in the video but it was blocking so much light into the meadow and pond area. It's shooting again but won't flower til next year now. I like to see how plants/shrubs fare with no human intervention but this had to be managed - it really was a case of just cutting back the growth to the height you can see. I hope to be able to move it possibly in the autumn so that it can do what it likes, but now a male Wren has made a nest at the base so I'm in two minds again! Hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Cheers Joel, thanks for the reply and insight. This particular video has resonated with me as we’ve got a woodland garden of sorts with lots of mature trees and an old mixed hedgerow at the back. Although we’ve got spring flowers out at the moment, I’ve struggled to find native perennials that will flower throughout the summer and tolerate the shade. I’ve used lots of native ferns for right under the trees, but would welcome recommendations for more diversity and interest. Thanks again.
@@nicholasstevenson5339 Hi Nicholas, you're in luck :) Yesterday I planted and filmed a shady border with perennials and hope to be able to edit and upload real soon, but it should cover what you need. If you wanted to drop me a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com we can recommend a few in the meantime of course - we're happy to advise :) Best wishes, and thank you - Joel 😃
Hi Suzanne, thank you :) Best bet would be your local tree surgeons I think, or even a council wood yard/amenities. You know already, but I don't recommend taking anything that is already providing a natural habitat - I have seen such wonderful architectural specimens when out and about but dare not touch them due to the habitat they're already providing - it would defeat the object etc. But do have a phone around of advertised tree surgeons, gardeners - you never know :) Those helpers were hinderers most of the time, and they foiled my pathetic hope of a barrier! Best wishes, Joel
I love your woodland border. Wow, so many plants in such a small space but it is going to look awesome (already do) and the wildlife are going to love it. You will have some happy frogs as well i'm sure. 13 peanuts!! How does it all fit into the bird's stomach😃
Hi there Charlotte, sorry for the delay! We watched the Jay closely and each and every time it was 12 peanuts stored in his crop and then a 13th one in his beak before he flew away to bury them ready for the winter :) Was so chuffed to see him - the next day he was taking them from the crevices in the wood and I managed to get a few photos from the kitchen window. I've stopped putting the whole nuts out now in case he starts taking them back to young who could possibly choke on them. Autumn and winter I'll start putting the whole ones out again :) Hope you're doing well, best wishes - Joel
Hi Joel. Thanks for the reply. I'm doing great. I'm also cautious about the peanuts. I wanted to tell you, I rebuilt my one pond and put underlayment on top of the liner as well. (like you always do). The next day a lot of the water in the pond was gone. I realized that the underlayment wicked out the water because it was larger than the plastic liner. I fixed it and now it's perfect. I did not put soil on top of it. Hope that is ok. At least I am protecting the liner from the sun etc. I also made another smaller pond yesterday and got it done in one day. The birds love it and soon after, took a bath. I was very chuffed about that. I am going to make another bigger pond as well, but this time it will be a wildlife pond that you always do. No filters, fountains, or waterfalls. Just natural. ☺ Take care and don't stop teaching us to do better. (Love all your videos)
Are the trees your planning stay short? That is aloot on such small space but I'm sure the birds will enjoy it. Another question was trying to order your book but didn't give me the option to mail it to USA. Thank you for your videos.
Hi there Cisco - I only intend to let the Rowan tree grow as a tree, the rest will be coppiced on a rotation. The book should be available worldwide but if you wanted to send an email to me at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com I can ensure we send one to you and that I sign it (if you would like). Hope this helps, thank you for your support. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton that makes sense, i know birds like woody and forest areas and that will be ideal.. i will be sending you an email. Have an excellent week.
Lovely update on the back garden. But i thought your pond was bigger, what size is it currently?🤔 Nice to see what you can do in a shady setting. And to me it looks like the dog-proofing fencing around your border failed😆 Any time you are in there, they just slip underneath the wood to get to you😆 A while ago i indentified a hawthorn in the plot next to our house. I was sad it didn't flowered, but i guess it was late due to the cold spring. Because i can now see small white flowers appear from our bathroom window upstairs☺️ That means tons of food for my bird friends in autumn❤️ The birds kindly dropped me a few hawthorn seeds last year or so. Because i have 3 hawthorn seedlings i will dig up soon🥰 I'm also happy to report that my blue bells on the edge of our back garden are definitely the English version and not the Spanish, Hooray🥳
Hey Titia - you're absolutely right! Two busy rescue dogs, even Sirius appears at one point. They have foiled my fencing plan, but it does give me a few seconds to shout "no!!" at least. That's so good re the Hawthorn and the Bluebells. This was the right move, hey? :) My pond originally had meadow around it, which you can see in the garden tours on the channel. However.... DOGS before the fencing meant that they may have damaged some of the area of the pond. It is holding water, but needed replenishing during winter so it wasn't a good sign. Must say that this is a perfect excuse to make a bigger pond now - the existing one is 3m x 2m or just over and it has been fantastic whilst I trialed the meadow surrounding it. Now for my own garden makeover, just like you :) Best wishes, as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton hi Joel, I only now saw the notification of you replying to my comment🫣 When I watch a youtube video these days, I watch it on the app of our Sony bravia tv because it better on my eyes. My eyes are getting tired and painful at times when looking at a small smartphone screen for to long. And the tv app sadly doesn't has a notification bell icon. So if I understand correctly your pond measures 2 by 3 metre, but that puddle that we saw in the video is at the moment smaller then 2 by 3? Haha, yes, it was the right 'move' to move to this new house with bigger garden😉😄 6+ weeks and so far I already feel way more at ease and at home in this house and area, then in 1+ year in the previous house and area. In that regard, it was the best, spontanious decision we have made so far. Happy gardening make over to you to🥳😎
Hi Maureen, I'll show the access/exit points for the hedgehogs in a future video, and the brash pile they use behind the gate at the end of the garden. However, concrete gravel boards either side and neighbours not so wildlife friendly - this just spurs me on ;) But access and exit is all there for them. Thank you so much re the woodland garden, this was filmed between March and April so I can't wait to share what it looks like now - updates to come. Best wishes, Joel
hello, another great video, I have a piece of my garden that I don't know what I want to plant, it's behind the house on the north side, there is a mixed hedge between our garden and the neighbor's, we must not plant trees that will be more than 2 meters, it will also take all the light from those rooms, but right now there is nothing but grass/herbs/moss, so do you have an idea why we can plan there. the soil type is clay, and is 1.8 meters wide from the hedge to the house and 5 meters along the house.
Hi Louise, you can coppice most trees to ensure they don't grow above 2 metres - there is a video on the channel about the best shrubs/small trees to plant. When planting plants in clay you can always dig through some sharp sand first to help with drainage, but I am doing another video on shady area planting and hopefully that'll be on the channel this evening if I manage to get time :) Best wishes, and thanks for your kind words - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thank you, it is not the first thing I will make, a have a pond, a hibernaculum/soil pile/flower meadow in one and som borders. But is is nice to dream, and getting more knowledge about what I can do for wildlife
Are you worried about termites with rotten wood? Where I live (SE US), we get rid of any rotting wood that is relatively close to the house to prevent termites from attacking the house and other structures.
Hi there - we're lucky that we don't "suffer" termites in the UK so we don't have the problem with dead wood, in fact it supports so much wildlife here. Mind you, I think US yards are much larger than ours so it's easier to make these habitats further away from any property :)
Just what I have been looking for, I have a very similar border and this video has given me all the info I needed. Now going to look on your website for the plants. Is there a list on your website of the plants used? No matter if not will get my notebook and pen out and watch again. Thank you
So pleased this was helpful Pat, I've been doing another shady/semi-shady border today which I've yet to edit/upload etc but hopefully for next Sunday. In the meantime, thank you so much for visiting www.wildyourgarden.com - I think you know already that the growers we use are the very same ones I've been using in my own projects for the last 18 years... it seemed a shame to keep them all to myself ;) Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and thank you again for your support - Joel
Not in the slightest Sandra :) They will be rotationally coppiced, like a loose hedge for more cover for the sparrows, wrens etc - lots of updates to come on this. Best wishes, Joel
You are planting so close to the fence and the trees/shrubs seem really closely spaced. This experienced gardener is breaking out in hives. What am I missing?
Thank you Carol, that means a lot! I am not sure if you have seen the interview with the wonderful Chris Baines on this channel - but he created the first ever wildlife garden for Chelsea around 38 years ago now. I understand they're featuring several wildlife gardens this year - but it's Chris Baines that we have to thank for working so hard for so long (and without social media) to encourage people to garden with wildlife in mind. Oh yes, they love to "help", even if I don't ask for it ;) Best wishes, Joel
Hi Harvey - it's difficult to see in the time lapse but the Rowan tree had been potted on too high in the nursery, meaning roots were near the top, and meaning planting it deeper was necessary. It's only this tree. I do have a video on how to plant trees as you advise: czcams.com/video/Oo6S5nImFOw/video.html Best wishes - Joel
Its great how you set an good example for people and teach people how to incorporate thought for the animals and bugs. Its not just Joel's garden its natures garden too!
Hi Lewis, I think that's got to be one of the nicest things anyone's said to me :) Thank you so much - I started the channel at the beginning of the pandemic (lockdown) to help people that were stuck at home, but the underlying reason was to encourage people to think about how much they could help our creatures desperately in need right now. Comments like yours make it all worthwhile - thank you. Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton you do a cracking job 👏
As soon as you said “I’m going to be showing you how to make a woodland border” I got my thumb ready to pause the video and take notes! Your woodland garden looks so beautiful. What a transformation! Lovely to see the jay there too!
Haha! Brilliant :) The Jay really was the icing on the cake and the day after I placed the peanuts in the crevices he was straight down - have some photos of him that I'll put in the next update. A male Wren has made a nest in the base of the ivy covered wild rose too. He's very proud of it and telling all who will listen :) Lots of updates to come - thank you again for all your encouragement and support - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton oh wow, that’s amazing about the male wren. He didn’t waste any time !
I would never have imagined planting a woodland garden in such a small space. Just beautiful! I love the wooden gates too.
Love those standing logs. The finished area looks amazing 👍
Thank you, they'd been laying in the yard for a few years and I knew that I could use them for the benefit of wildlife at some point, I just didn't want them wasted - will be bringing lots of updates on this and the other areas of the back and front gardens. Best wishes, Joel
Love hearing all the birds
Me too Terry, glad you enjoyed this :)
I’ve just found your channel and it’s helping me so much. As someone who’s new to gardening your videos are the bees knees
Wow, thank you so much Tony. I am so grateful that you've taken the time to let me know, it really does make it all worthwhile. Welcome to the channel, you'll find a great community here. If you go to "videos" on the home page of the channel you'll see the library of uploads there - should keep you busy for a little while but if you ever need help or advice then please feel free to ask :) Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
You’re lucky to have such attentive little garden helpers!
Probably good to realise that in many areas "most people" don't have a garden that's that big. A lot of people live in rental flats. I get that if your job is to design gardens, you get to see a lot of big ones :). I also appreciate your advice for small gardens though! And your front garden looks a bit more like a good sized back garden around where I live, so plenty of inspiration. (Might be a bit painful for example for young people who have a pretty slim chance of buying something like that to say "I'm sure we all have an area like this")
Not everyone is as easily offended as you sir!
@@andrewconnolly4084 Haha, no, sorry, didn't mean to say I'm offended! In the Netherlands it's just a big thing for the last few years that young people can't buy houses, let alone ones with gardens. So I was a bit surprised by the "you know we all have gardens like this" tone in the video. By far the most important thing is that we improve our outdoor spaces for wildlife, so I still think it's a good video! But it would be useful to know that at least part of the audience lives in a slightly different world, so more small garden / balcony stuff is useful.
Hi there Sjoerd, I do understand - I have been filming other videos regarding small spaces and containers etc to help and encourage everyone. It is the same here with new build properties, the smallest of gardens, to ensure the maximum of houses in a space can be profited from further. Older houses here, of course, like mine are not large in comparison to many, but they are more usual due to the time in between the Wars (1920s etc) when people were bombed out of London and spread further out - there was so much more land available then and a mass of house building in the outer areas of the cities. I hope that the front garden will show people how they can be, not always practical for a back garden of course as space is important to people for sitting outside/relaxing but there will be more videos to come :) Thank you for your input though, it's important. Best wishes, Joel
This is the loveliest mini woodland garden I've ever seen! It has a very special ambience 🤗, absolutely brilliant Joel! The wood vetch is going to love it there 😁. And that jay! That was so rewarding, to see life moving straight in to your new area. Out if interest, could this sort of mini woodland be done with species such as silver birch, aspen and scots pine? I know these aren't generally recommended as they can get very big; but just wondering if these species are able to be managed and kept smaller somehow too? Also - bluebells and wood anemones have got to be the ultimate combination! 🤩🌿🐛🦋
I have tried 'managing' Scot's Pine to keep them small, and it doesn't work. They get leggy and horrible looking. I think it's because of the fact they have long needles and long bare stems between needle growth nodes.
Other conifer species with smaller needles that decorate side branches as well as clustering on branch ends work a lot, lot better.
I have a number of different conifer species that I prune back, all of them small needled types (and now I'm using these to replace the Scot's Pine). Some of these I have grown from cones I've picked up in the woods and originate from towering trees - yet they have never minded being pruned to size.
Silver Birch should be fine too. I have quite a number of those, some in shady areas clustered among pines and rhododendrons, and have coppiced a couple right down to ground level.
Do be careful 'when' you choose to coppice them. I was rather too late in the season with my favourite Birch tree last year and it literally bled to death (which is so frustrating because it had a really good thing going with Boletes and Fly Agaric. So I have quickly planted a new Silver Birch nearby in the hope they make up a new happy association).
Normally, a Silver Birch copes well with coppicing down to the ground. It was just an unfortunate thing that we were getting some savage storms at the time, the tree was in an elevated position and large enough to do some real damage if it fell across our roof.
@@debbiehenri345 Thanks so much for this information Debbie, this is really helpful 🤗
Hi there @Eywa's Daughter :) Thank you so much re the woodland garden, there's still a few shrubs and climbers of yours that I am trying to find space for! Your generosity is appreciated every day I see them :) Debbie is right re the Birch, that should do well with coppicing and Aspen too, but as Debbie says too the Scot's Pine won't take well to it. And yes, Bluebells and Wood Anemones are pretty unbeatable. Hope you and the family are well, best wishes - Joel
thanks so much for posting! this is most of us: don't have enough time and resources to maintain a perfectly manicure garden. but we do what we can. you have inspired me to do more in my garden for wild life. thanks for sharing!
Hi there - thank you so very much. Comments like yours really do make everything worthwhile, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave encouragement - best wishes, Joel
How rewarding, to see the before and after transformation and to see wildlife quickly taking advantage on the newly planted and constructed habits! Great job mate!
Absolutely it is - rather typically just after filming the Jay turned up and started taking the peanuts out of the crevices, managed to get a few shots of him from kitchen window. Will include in next video about it, oh and a fabulous little Wren made a nest inside the bird box I placed right at the bottom of that old Dog Rose. I can't wait to show everyone the updates and how the border is filling out. Best wishes, Joel
Another amazing transformation and a Jay already feels secure enough to visit your garden. Can’t wait to see the update videos.
Thank you Mark, I really appreciate that. Yes, one day later and the Jay was extracting the peanuts from the crevices in the standing Oak. I managed to get some photos - will include in update, as well as a male Wren making a nest inside that pruned wild rose :) Best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement - Joel
Love the new border. Love all the plants
Thank you Becky, appreciated :) More updates to come. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, Joel
Looks absolutely magical, and such an inspiration! I wish there was a slide with names of all the plants in that little area, going to try and see what I can figure out! ❤
Hi Jelena, thank you so much - I really must find time to do an update video on this, it's looking fantastic right now! I work away all week on client projects all over the country so it's difficult to fit everything in at weekends. I really will try to put plant names up in future but it does take longer of course - however, if there's a time-stamp in the video where you are struggling please let me know and I'll be happy to help - it would be better to email me at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com as notifications on YT are sporadic. Very best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement and support - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonthank you so much for responding! You're too kind! I'll see what I can work out myself going through your website and from the names you mention on the video, and then if I can't, I'll message for help! ☺️
Thanks it's nice to see someone working a garden with dogs and still getting wildlife too !
Haha! Yes, just about ;) Glad you enjoyed this Elaine. Best wishes, Joel
The rail didn't keep out luna. If you can she can lol. Looks great. A mini show garden. Dug up my spanish bluebells today. Want to replace with native bluebells. Cant beat them.
That made me laugh! And you're right... Luna cannot bear to be less than 12 inches from me, but thankfully it has deterred them, as long as I'm not in that part of the garden they seem to leave it alone now (what's the betting they now trash it?!). Agreed re our native bluebells :) Best wishes, Joel
That is just fabulous Joel. Excellent demonstration of what can be achieved in a small shady space. I've got plenty of logs from our cherry being decrowned a couple of years back. Not as large as yours but I've had them upright but resting on the soil I shall bury them now. We have found lesser stag beetles in our garden, so hopefully they'll find them.
Thank you Tracey, it doesn't matter re the size, it's the habitat and the rotting part (you know this already :) - lots of creatures will find those. Let me know who visits! Best wishes, Joel
Lovely use of an otherwise difficult part of your garden. I've pretty much done exactly the same, in a space about the same size, now that I've had my two monstrous 70 foot eucalyptus trees cut down. I planted 3 silver birch in the centre, and surrounded them with dogwood and willow, buddleia, lilac and a crab apple. Underplanted with cow slips, dead nettle, verbascum, foxgloves and Aubretia. I may have also found room for a cheeky clump of gorse.😊 Temporarily dog proofed with cundy posts and wire until I can afford the DIY estate fencing I hanker after 😅
Haha! I hear you. Loud and clear. Frank can clear the field-gate to the right of the fence, gazelle fashion. Luna is almost cat-like when weaving her way from one side of the garden to the other. Your area sounds brilliant, and great underplanting. Same as you, I'd never have them any other way, but boy do they encourage creative thinking ;) Best wishes, Joel
What an inspiration for such a small space, it looks really stunning.
Thank you Pat - I'm very grateful for your kind words and encouragement :) Best wishes, Joel
That’s just fantastic mate. This is the video I’ve been looking forward to from your back garden , such a lovely area you’ve created . And the news about your verge not being cut by the council is the icing on the cake 😁😁
Thank you :) I'm pretty chuffed about the council, well the contractors to be fair, but whether they disappoint while I'm not there is another thing. I'll keep everyone updated. Speak soon - Joel
Absolutely love it! Feeling motivated to give my own garden a woody makeover. 💚🌳🦋🦇
That border is jaw on the floor beautiful!
Thank you Andrew, so much - I've learned a new saying thanks to you, and I really do appreciate it :) Welcome to the channel, we have such a great community here and I'm glad you're part of it. Best wishes, Joel
The woodland garden looks great 👍 thanks for sharing and helping our wildlife friends
Thank you Michael, and thank you for your encouragement and support :) Best wishes, Joel
A marvellous watch and listen Joel from start to finish. The exciting possibilities and potential of bare soil. Great to see you rewarded by that beautiful Jay taking advantage of your foresight 👍😊. Magical back garden woodland edge. Thank you Joel for sharing. p.s. Gorilla planting is good. Paul 🙏😊👍❤️
No shame in your game! We can only do what we can do… Glad you have time to do work in your own space!! 👍🏻🌱🌱🌱💕 What a gorgeous space!
Brilliant, thank you Sandra - I learned a new phrase today :) Thank you for your support, best wishes - Joel
Absolutely ❤️ your video. The 🐕 🐕 are so lovely 😊 . 👍🏻 news about the council doing that yippee 👏🏻. I’ve got flowering plants 🪴 that were originally a cutting from my mother in law who lives 5mins down the road. Last year it was buzzing with 🐝 & this year it’s growing through the bottom garden 🪴 fence. Let’s 🙏🏻 that the council keep their word .about not cutting it. If they do I’ll be angry 😤. When it grows I’ll send you photos on Twitter
Thank you Janie - good luck with the council, I am sure they'll get the idea - let's just hope there's not a flurry of mowing come 1 June and all those insects/creatures that have found habitat/food won't be culled along with the flowers. Things are changing, for the better I hope. Best wishes, Joel
When you doing your own wildlife pond In Your BACK garden then?! ?! We’d love to see it in hen you do!
(Especially as the front looks great and simply structured but done well)
Brilliant Joe, I've watched several of your videos and find they are extremely informative and inspirational. Taken lots of notes for my own mini woodland, pond and wildflower meadow. Thank you for what you do.
Absolutely lovely! New sub here from Washington State in the Pacific Northwest. Your garden is reminiscent of what I love here. Thanks for your wonderful information. Looking forward to learning more. 🌲
Hi there Linda, so glad that you found us - we have a fantastic community here and it's so great to know that you're part of it. Lots of videos on the channel already - if you go to the home page and select "videos" you'll see the whole library. But more added regularly and lots of updates to come. Thank you for your kind words and support, I really appreciate it. Best wishes, Joel
Just wow... your woodland border looks absolutely spectacular. Imagine how absolutely beautiful it will become as it fills out.
I do love your garden and all of the amazing wildlife gifts that fill it with pure delight:)
Hey Miche, thank you. I'm very pleased with it, and can't wait for it all to fill out and become established. Will be bringing regular updates, thanks for all your encouragement - best wishes, Joel
Hello Joel. Many thanks for another excellent how-to video. I followed your 3 part series on building a wildlife pond last year and it’s doing great. The pond is situated in a shady part of the garden. I will follow your advice on planting the area around the pond this year.
Hi there :) So pleased that you have a pond, and are clearly being rewarded for all your effort. It's so good to know there's another vital habitat out there. Remember that the closer shrubs and trees are to a pond the more likely you will have leaves in it come autumn, but it is easy to keep on top of - just a little note for when you're planning/spacing out etc. Hope this helps, and thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it makes a huge difference. Would love to see a few photos of the pond if you get a chance, enquiries@wildyourgarden.com. Best wishes, Joel
it’s absolutely stunning!! fabulous job. the big gnarly logs and bark add so much in terms of aesthetic and habitat. that’s one thing I would really love more of in my garden, but find hard to get especially without a car. definitely going to steal some ideas from this to improve my shady area 🌳
Hi there, so glad this was helpful and that you enjoyed it :) I would ask a local tree surgeon/landscape company if they have any logs they could drop off for you... I don't recommend taking from existing habitat as that defeats what we're trying to do, but do ask around. Thank you for the support - best wishes, Joel
I would love to plant one of these.😊❤🌳
I hope the video helps you achieve this :) Best wishes, Joel
Superb job a great variety of trees and shade loving plants
The log idea worked well and gives it an instant maturity The jay obviously thinks so !
I have tried a similar idea using Alder Birch dogwood Rowan interspaced with viburnum guelder rose
There’s an alleyway over the back fence that used to contain some huge trees that the council sadly chopped down, so I like to think I’m replacing it
Im totally stoked to see any bird perching on any of my trees
Still working on my big pond but constant rain has made difficult progress can’t wait for your new website also Keep up these brilliant vids !!!
Thank you Kevin, I really do appreciate all your support and encouragement, it really does make a difference. Yep, there's no better feeling than seeing a creature benefitting from something you've done :) The website is available now, it's just that in the background they're working on making it much faster - everything's available there though - www.wildyourgarden.com. I empathise completely re rain and trying to get ponds dug! ;) Best wishes, as always - Joel
Wow so much into such a small space. I’m slowly replacing some of (to me) boring foreign ever green shrubs I inherited with my garden with natives. Two down so far, replaced with a wayfaring tree and a dogwood but I didn’t think I could get so much in. Next up is a hazel to go in but I might try and fit a few more in that space too now.
Hi there :) Yep, I do like close-planting, particularly with these small trees/shrubs - I will coppice them rotationally to keep them in check but also to provide more cover for the house sparrows from the Sparrow Hawk - he knows they hide in the buddleja at the moment and I know I've got to do some surgery on that at some point, but want to ensure there is alternative cover before I remove anything else. I'll be doing update videos on this area in amongst the back and front garden updates, so stay tuned :) Best wishes, Joel
And it looks really good!
Thank you Joan - much appreciated :)
Do you have any jobs upcoming in North Yorkshire again Joel? I would love to work with you when you’re back up here.
Hi there - I certainly do... can you send me an email to enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and let's see what we can do :) Hope you're having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thank you for your consideration. I have sent an email. All the best and thanks for the video.
Awesome in the shady part of my garden I have lesser celandine and bluebells and I'm thinking of adding some red campion that I potted up last year and it's got massive so I'm going to split it up and move parts of it same with my massive clump of forget me nots
Yes! Absolutely this. Only this evening I sprinkled forget-me-not seeds in this area :) Definitely a good place for the Campion too. Thanks for your encouragement, best wishes - Joel
Great video thank you. Would love to see how it’s doing now if you wanna add a little update to your long list of pending ideas 😜😁🌳💚
Haha, thanks Denise, I really appreciate it. Yes, if I'm very honest I have circa 200 videos to now upload, I am constantly filming when working around the country but working nationally means I am rarely home during the week and you know how weekends get taken up. But I have another video this evening, and the woodland border update is already filmed, just need to edit and upload. Hope you're having a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thanks for your reply Joel. I totally get it. Hats off to you for all you do put out! I started a second channel and only released about 7 videos, I’ve so many waiting to be edited. It’s a mission! Super grateful for all you’ve shared sweetheart, thank you. Hope your weekend is great too and I that there’s been time for you in there as well 😁😘
@@innerpeacewithdenise111 You're very welcome, keep at it with the channel as it does take time, it can be thankless at times but receiving messages like yours make it all worthwhile, they really do. Still editing tonight's video but determined to get it uploaded, even if it has to be around 9pm...! Thanks for all your support and encouragement, I really do appreciate it. Best wishes, Joel
Very inspiring thank you Joel
Thanks and looks great.
Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time, encouragement makes all the difference :) Best wishes, Joel
Having a big pain flare today so have done bugger all except sit and watch multiple blue butterflies, and various bee types, tiny birds, and either swallows or Swift's( I always mix them up) low down above my bungalow roof. Took a few pics of plants .I may try to get seed trays sorted before dark. 🙏♥️ I love your wildlife videos, I've learned a lot! Thankyou
Hey Helena :) That sounds like a perfect day to me, without the pain of course - I'm sorry to hear that. The way I identify is that Swifts are a black sickle shape above and the Swallows have a white stomach and longer tail - I hope this helps a bit. I'm so grateful for your encouragement and support - hope you have more pain free days ahead. Best wishes, Joel
A lovely project piece (especially with the benefit of the canine management and supervision team on hand!)
The logs for the beetles not just beneficial but also artistically placed.
I planted a row of around a dozen Guelder Roses several years ago, love the bright red of the almost translucent berries and the startling red Autumn colour. Only yesterday, was delighted to find two self-sown seedlings nestled in the (non-mown!) grass a dozen feet away.
It's always a pleasant surprise to find treasured shrubs and trees finally self-sowing around the garden.
I do like the idea of pushing peanuts into cracks in the logs to attract Jays. Jays fly over my garden every day, but never stop here (not that I know of anyway). So I am definitely going to do that.
I guess that putting the peanuts in a log of that size will also attract predatory birds to hang around and mop up the extra mice and voles that will also be attracted to the peanuts.
(Do watch out for that Wild Garlic. We have tons of it around here and it can swamp out other wild flowers quite quickly if not kept under reasonable control).
Hi there Debbie, I planted another Guelder Rose in my garden this weekend, but it's so good finding all these "freebies" that so many plants give. Yes, Wild Garlic is certainly determined and I'm hoping that it being in my own garden means at least once a week I can keep an eye on it :) Frank and Luna... they definitely keep me on my toes. Hope you and yours are doing well, best wishes as always - Joel
I can relate to this Joel, feel my garden has been neglected a bit. Nice to learn what I can do to manage the space and get some inspiration 😊🌱
Thank you Amir, so glad this was helpful and encouraging - I understand completely that your wonderful allotment takes work and by the time you get home... there's never enough time... and not enough space ;) Hope you're having a good weekend, catch up soon - Joel
That looks amazing Joel! I wasn’t sure how it was all going to come together in the beginning but I shouldn’t had wondered! It’s given me hope for my patch of permanent shade. I wonder though if those plants would do ok in a windy coastal garden?
Looking forward to the update on it as it establishes. 👏🏻
Thank you very much :) I've been doing another border today for semi-shade/shady but one thing you can definitely do is use Sea Buckthorn, Gorse, Holly and Rowan... they're so important for wildlife. Hope this helps, more updates to come - thank you for your support and encouragement, Joel
Thank so much for the suggestions I will check them out. I have an idea of what will do well but just wondering what I can get away with 😅 as I miss the woodland being so close to the coast. All the best!
I tried to order your book but the USA isn’t shown as an option on the drop-down menu for countries.
Sorry about that Keith, it's no doubt a default. But drop me a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and I'll ensure you get one, signed if you like :) Hope to hear from you soon, best wishes - Joel
Thanks
I really appreciate this help Kevin, I'm so grateful for everyone's encouragement and to know that between us all we are spreading the message further makes all this worthwhile. Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
I laughed at the text bubble “my attempt at dog proofing this border” when I realized they were both inside of it, lol. I feel your pain. I have two huskies destroying my yard and have decided to let them have the turf, going to let them dig it up and destroy it since they are young. Then in a year I’ll plant it as a meadow since they killed turf for me. I’ve put taller fencing around veggie and flower beds for now. The funny thing is I made them a big dedicated digging area-a sand pit and filled it with toys and they don’t touch it 😂
Haha! Yes, like kids... sometimes the cardboard box is more useful than the toy ;) He didn't appear in this video (he's 15 now) but Sirius, is our rescue from Romania, a Malamute/GSD cross - I think the GSD part keeps him in check! Good luck with the lawn and maybe they really are doing you a favour by prepping the land :) Best wishes, Joel
Love the woodland border and fence Joel. Looking forward to the updates on it, and the front garden. Keep it up. 👍
Thank you Lee, I really appreciate the encouragement and support. Lots of regular updates to come. Best wishes, Joel
Thanks Joel for your great videos. After watching your channel last year I decided to go wild! It’s amazing what comes up and I am learning the names of lovely things I used to pull up,like herb Robert and ragwort. The brambles I have cut back for years gave me a good yield last year. Now, I am being entertained by the birds feasting on the box hedge caterpillar that is back again. The hedge looks awful but the birds love it
So good to read this! Thank you so much, it sounds like you're reaping the rewards from your efforts and I'm so pleased you're getting so much enjoyment out of it. I really do appreciate your support and encouragement. Best wishes - Joel
I see you have a mal Joel,fences,walls will not stop a mal if they want to go somewherei buy my mals from Colombia incredible dogs,as always,looking forward to seeing how the garden blooms.cheers
Colombian Malinois - I'd show those respect ;) You're right, Luna is a little smaller than the usual - no doubt runt of a litter and of no value so a rescue. Frank the malinois/GSD mix was basically living in a cupboard in a car repair garage. Amazing dogs, just not so cohesive with a romantic style of gardening ;) Thanks for your support James, appreciated.
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton hahahahaha,special forces use them for a reason,well done for rescuing them,people dont know what to do with mals if they have no experience with the breed,im trained and certified to US Police Force level,you can switch them on and off in a heart beat.well done Joel.
@@jamescunningham1973 Thank you James, I've seen a fair few videos now of why these dogs are used and their agility. My soon to be wife was brought up with GSDs, Malamute etc so she's sucker for "pointy eared" dogs and when we saw Luna and Frank basically advertised on a second-hand site (!) we couldn't not give them a home. Can I send them to you for additional training? ;) Would love to meet your dogs one day. Best wishes, and thanks again - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton i live in Guatemala Joel,been here 17yrs,however i am now looking to come closer to home,France or Italy,my dogs belong to the security company i work for,theyre drug search dogs thats why i buy from Colombia,ready trained,but i will be getting one once i move and settle in somewhere,also if i have any garden ,first thing is a wild life pond👍cheers joel
Beautiful!
Really good to see how your gardens coming on and some brilliant ideas thanks for sharing 🐸💚🐸
Thank you, I hope this inspires other people to make this kind of habitat if they have a "difficult" shady area :) Hope you had a good weekend, best wishes - Joel
Love your little woodland garden so simple put effective More ideas for me thank you so much
You're very welcome Mags, just so glad that more and more people are planting/gardening with wildlife in mind - I've been doing this for 18 years now and seeing the change in the last few years has been incredible, it really does spur me on :) Best wishes, and thank you - Joel
AWESOME video Joel, this is food for the soul. Seeing those tall deadwood stands going in was so so cool!!
Thank you JB, that means a lot. I'd been saving those two limbs at the yard after one of the storms. Needless to say the Jay turned up the following day and took the peanuts from the crevices - managed to get some photos. I really do appreciate your support, the channel has grown more than I ever imagined and it's such a great community here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton ahhh amazing!! That is brilliant to hear. I adore those photos of your garden in full leaf too. I'm slowly trying to win my fiance over to planting some trees in the garden and that picture will help a lot!
Ahh I only just got to the part in the video with the Jay!!! What a beauty. And I absolutely love how big your channel is growing and the message you are spreading, doing brilliant work pal 👌👌
Thank you so much, all of the above :) I hope we can meet up some day. Do please keep in touch (I have many wife-convincing methods to share! ha!). Best wishes, Joel
How beautiful and what a great inspiration! I got a great chuckle from Frank & Luna defying your "dog proof" fencing. 🤎
Thank you Michelle, glad you liked this :) Luna and Frank have a lot of comedy value... every time I discarded a plant pot Luna thought it meant that she had to bring them back to me :/ They've not been in the border since I planted it, but if they see the squirrel any fencing will be negated ;) Best wishes - Joel
It looks lovely, I’ve just done a woodland themed flower bed about the same size & popped a silver birch right in the middle 👍
Thank you Susan - I planted a Silver Birch in the front garden, you might have seen it in the background in more recent videos about progress - but they're one of the most beautiful trees and so good for wildlife. I filmed another video at the weekend about other plants for shady borders etc and hopefully will be able to bring that to you soon :) Thanks for your kind words, best wishes - Joel
Can't wait to see this flourish. I have the perfect spot to do a little area like this in my garden 😁 . Looks like I'll be going garden shopping! I'll look forward to seeing more of your garden updates. Very inspiring! 🌲🦋🐸🐦⬛
Thank you Tia, I'm glad you enjoyed this and there will be lots of updates to come. Welcome to the channel :) Best wishes, Joel
Great video! The border really looks great! I'm looking forward to an update on how this border looks in a year or so and a video on how to manage it!
Thank you :) Yes, I can't wait for the plants to start spreading and filling in those gaps, but I will be doing updates regularly. Hope you had a good weekend - best wishes, as always - Joel
Hi Joel, the border looks amazing, will be interesting to watch it mature. Your dogs should have their own show, I have dog issues on a smaller scale, we have a Jack Russell, the pond is fenced off to stop him going for a swim. Looking forward also to your pond doubling in size and what you can do with it. Regards Keith
Without the fencing this show would resemble Gladiators! Every time I discarded a plant pot Luna interpreted it as "shall I bring this back?", and Frank just wants whatever Luna's got. Quite a circus. Can't wait to bring you all the updates on this, it was filmed between Feb and beg April so lots to share. Best wishes, Joel
Thanks Joel this is my my type of video as my garden is mainly shade. Love the idea of adding tall “dead wood” logs on the upright , they really add a new dimension. I have lined my paths with old logs which have rotted and I’ve noticed stag beetles hiding there. I’ve a lot of the perennials you’ve mentioned but learnt about a few more, wood vetch, and sticking iris, must try those out. Can’t wait for the updates and how you manage all those shrubs. Really enjoyed this as there must be lots of other people who don’t have enough sunshine to grow the “usual” plants for pollinators. You just inform us there are other ways of attracting wildlife into our gardens. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Gill, so glad that you enjoyed this video and that it was helpful, I've been making another video about semi-shade plants that attract wildlife too - just need to edit and compile bits and hopefully I can bring this to you soon :) I really appreciate your support and encouragement, it makes a huge difference. Many more updates to come. Best wishes, Joel
Absolutely brilliant video Joel. I’ve been waiting for this one and I was truly amazed at the wonderful wildlife area you created. Lots of inspiration so I’ll be out in the garden this weekend using some of your ideas. Thank you so much for helping us create such fantastic spaces for wildlife.
I’m really looking forward to seeing your garden refresh. Thank you for sharing 🌺
Thank you Anna, your encouragement means a lot :) So glad that this was helpful to you and that you're still enjoying the channel. Best wishes, Joel
That's really lovely, Joel - nice one!
Thank you Mark - much appreciated :)
Looks fantastic and in such a small area will provide plenty of habitat for birds and insects.
Thank you, and yes it has attracted so many insects and birds already, can't wait to bring all the updates :) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonLooking forward to it! 👍
Amazing
Thank you :)
Love your videos Joel. This one however makes me a bit uneasy - isn't it wrong to pack so many trees into such a small area? Surely they need space to spread.
Hi Ray, it does look that way and they are closely planted, but they will be coppiced routinely and made into more of a loose hedge if that makes sense. The buddleja needs cutting back for it's own sake soon and I want to provide alternative cover for the sparrows as our Sparrow Hawk knows exactly where they are ;) I will be doing regular updates and showing how it is maintained. Hope that helps explain a bit more - best wishes, Joel
Ahh this really made my day. I feel incredibly lucky after watching this, because I’ve got my own little mini woodland in the corner of my ‘ bird garden’ I made it about 5 years ago….well I’m saying I made it, but the trees & Ivy were already there. I just added rotten stumps & a couple of bushy things ( no idea what they are called) 🙈😂 we also have a huge Holly on the other side of the garden with more trees.
We have masses of birds now, especially various finches, and recently ‘acquired’ a Bullfinch & his wife! We got way too excited about them, & named them Bob & Betty 😂
Your wee corner looks fabulous & the rest of the garden too! Great job Joel 👌👏
So good to read this Lynn, that sounds absolutely perfect and I have to confess I'm a little envious of the Bullfinch pair. Pleased to say that after filming (of course!) the Jay came and took the peanuts from the crevices and a male Wren has built a nest in the wild rose base that I left - I knew not to move it! Have footage but that will feature in the next update. Thanks so much for all your support, it really does make a difference. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton ahh that’s fantastic…….doesn’t take long for new birds to figure out where they are well off! 😍
Looks amazing Joel & the wildlife are gonna love it well done mate
Thank you Steve, I really appreciate your encouragement - best wishes, Joel
Just found your channel (via Wildlife Tracy’s channel!) & I’m loving all the ideas you have Joel. I have a lot of shady areas in my garden, so this has given me some great pointers for wildlife-friendly planting. 😊👍
Hi there! So glad you found us, we have a great community here, worldwide and I'm so glad you're a part of it. Tracy has been gardening with wildlife in mind for many years, isn't YT great for finding like-minded people :) Hope the channel is helpful, best wishes - Joel
Beautiful. I can’t wait to see the progression! I love snowdrops.
Did you put any blue bells in?
Oh yes... they're pretty much all over the garden but I planted more and am going to be topping up the bulb selection in Autumn :) Best wishes - Joel
Another excellent informative video Joel. The old oak tree made a wonderful, useful focal point. I was surprised to see how many trees and shrubs you managed to fit in that small space. Before watching this video, I would be frightened to have such small spacing between the plants as I am worried about their eventual height and spread.
I am looking forward to the follow up videos explaining the management of this woodland.
Hi there John, thank you so much. Yes, I'd been waiting to use them for a long while and am glad I saved them. It does look dense planting, they will be coppiced on a rotational basis but I wanted to provide as much cover for the birds as possible - we have several Sparrow Hawks here and they know the sparrows are in that buddleja, before it grew to the size it is now they would crash into the French doors to try to grab prey. I like Sparrow Hawks but I wanted to give the sparrows and smaller birds a chance of refuge. Lots of update videos to come of this area, the rest of the garden and front garden too :) Thanks for all your support, it's appreciated - best wishes, Joel
Jack by the hedge? Great for Orange Tips.
Absolutely :) You can't see it here but I must have around 300 (!) Garlic Mustard (unintentionally) in the back garden right now, and it definitely works - hope you're doing well, best wishes - Joel
Amazing, can't wait for the updates. as always inspirational.
Thank you Rebecca, can't wait to bring them to you (not wishing the year away, but it's improved already in a few weeks) - best wishes, Joel
It is just wonderful, given me loads of ideas. Looking forward to the new website.
Me too Helen, it's much improved all round - you can still order everything you need right now, it's just that with the traffic we'd been experiencing people were saying it could be slow - only by about 1 second, but apparently that counts! ;) So glad the video helped, I've been doing another shady/semi-shade border this afternoon, all the plants are in - am just hoping the neighbours are quieter if I get up early, just so I can talk about the individual plants! Hope you're enjoying the weekend, best wishes - Joel
Hey Joel! Amazing how much you can fit in a small space and no doubt it will be full of wildlife in the blink of an eye! Love seeing the pups think they wanted to help you with the digging!! Mine decided to help out by trying to eat a geranium today! The front garden is looking great, so nice to see the bee finding it already. Look forward to seeing the pond makeover I have the same project in mind for mine. Hope you enjoy the bank hol, nice to see the sun at last. Best wishes.
Thank you :) Yes, I think the dogs did more tramping around the trees than I did! LOL at yours and the geranium. Pond makeover should be autumn time now (sweating about finding the time!) as there's just so much on and of course there will be less to do in general - but if I can miraculously fit it in sooner I will. Another video filmed this afternoon about a shady/semi-shady border, just need to creep out early tomorrow morning to film and talk about the plants as my neighbours were their usual unquiet selves today ;) I can't win... rain means they'll be inside... but so will I! Enjoy the rest of the holiday, take good care - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Ahhh neighbours, been in the same boat! Pace yourself, there's no rush, everything works out in the end. Take some time off and enjoy what you have. Best wishes.
Hi Joel. I want to say just how inspirational your videos have been for me. We live in a new build house. My husband and I did a great job of landscaping our mud pile of a back garden last year - but this year we’re keen to get going on the front garden. We’re lucky to face a forest… so there’s already lots of wildlife ready to encourage into our garden. I want to do a full on wildlife friendly meadow out the front and would love to add some deadwood tree stumps like yours for interest and habitat. Any ideas where I might be able to get something similar? Any advice would be great. Thank you!
Hi there :) Thank you so much for this, your encouragement and support means a lot. I guess I'm lucky in that I have a reclaim yard where I store any items I come across like this, usually from client gardens or limbs that have fallen on the farm where my yard is. I obviously don't advocate this being taken from the "wild", ie it will already be providing vital habitat for creatures and shouldn't be moved. But do try your local tree surgeons, it really is worth phoning them to see if they have anything suitable - although we don't want to start a "trend" where cutting down trees is even more profitable ;) I hope this helps, it might be worth looking on ebay sometimes too. Best wishes, and thanks again for your kind words - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks Joel. I’ll try my local surgeons. FYI - after watching your videos the hubby has decided he’s gonna dig a pond in our garden now. You’re definitely a good influence! 😄
@@emmacrocker2474 Oh, that's great - another vital habitat! Don't forget us at www.wildyourgarden.com when you need anything, including advice, we're happy to help :) Best wishes, and thank you again - Joel
What a lovely garden. Your own woodland. Wonderful. Where are you in the UK? Would love to visit to do a video on my channel.
Hi there Sean, thank you so much. I'm not far from you I think, in Essex. But of course I work away a lot at this time of year. Please do drop me an email to enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com and we can definitely speak about arranging something :) Enjoy the rest of the weekend, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton will do. Speak soon.
You are such an inspiration. This year I have decided to plant some native species in the little garden we have so I enjoy watching your videos to see what is possible. I would be really interested to see a "guerilla" gardening video about the strip in front of your house. We have a similar one and I was wondering what the best way to rewild it would be. For now I am thinking about poppies and cornflowers.
Hi there :) Thanks so much for this, comments like yours and people taking the time to encourage me really does make a difference, and I'm very grateful. I will definitely be doing updates on the verge outside, slightly nervous at the moment as I'm away from home and although the two contractors with the strimmers stopped for me and said they would relay to their mower-guy to leave the verge, there are no signs (I'm hoping to liaise with the council re this, as it's on public land etc) and they come down the road pretty fast - so fingers crossed. I would definitely write to the council first and let them know what you plan to do (the verge will need scarifying if you are to put seeds in so they don't have to compete with the grasses) - I wrote to mine, giving them 6 weeks notice of what I was going to do after the broadband contractors wrecked the verge - but they never responded, and I made clear in my email that if I heard no objection within 6 weeks I'd go ahead. Not sure if that means their approval or not ;) But stay tuned for updates and if you need any advice re plants/seeds etc then always feel free to drop us a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com - best wishes, Joel
This is the video I was looking forward to. I'm working on my front garden which gets the morning sun but then it does get shady when the sun moves round. I'm going to create a border and was thinking about what plants to put it. My soil is heavy clay so I might have to add some top soil and/organic matter. I've got a dog rose which I haven't planted so not sure how it got there ? It's staying though - squatters rights and all that! 😁
Haha re squatters rights! I agree though, what a lovely freebie :) I've done another video for you this afternoon, planting a shady border and including herbaceous perennials - and of course ALL beneficial to wildlife :) I've got to go back out there tomorrow to talk about the individual plants, then edit etc - but I'll try to get it to you for next Sunday. With the heavy clay, you can always dig some sharp sand through it, this helps it to crumble more and be more workable. Hope this helps, and am so glad you enjoyed this one. Best wishes, Joel
Off topic, but what breeds are your dogs? One is a GSD? They’re lovely. And everything looks fantastic!
Hi there :) Thank you. I have three rescues, one a pure Malinois (she was clearly the runt of the litter and not lucrative enough for the breeder), we have Frank who's a Malinois/GSD and he was kept in a cupboard at a car repair station, our oldest is Sirius who does feature in other videos, he's a Malamute/GSD cross and came from Romania 12 years ago, he'll be 15 next March (fingers crossed). They're all wonderful and very grateful dogs :) Best wishes, Joel
I will get your book (hopefully signed 😂), but Iim always confused as to how tidy the wildlife gardens you visits it are. Mine is just full mostly of long grass and im scared of planting in such long grass!
Great video! Can I ask how you will maintain the trees with them being so close together?
Hi Dan, thank you, appreciated :) The trees and shrubs (aside from the Rowan which will be a stand-alone specimen) will be coppiced on rotation to provide cover and berries/blossom - best wishes, Joel
Joel (love your channel!), an item in my 'bucket list' is to see live stag beetles in the UK. Unfortunately still not crossed off. I live in the North West of England. Do you think there's any way that I could encourage them up here? Decaying oak logs I guess but I'll probably need to wait until global warming really kicks in.
Your dogs are beautiful, however I can totally sympathise to the damage they can do. I have a malinois and staffie. One digs, one makes dens and sticks. 🫣
I'm currently fencing a 3.5m strip (using steel panels they put into driveways). And my very first pond will be safely placed. I have a rotting wood and fern bed further in the shade.
I look forward to seeing your other projects.
Yes! 1 x Malinois 1 x GSD/Malinois and 1 x GSD/Malamute here. All rescue and all worth it, although my opinion sometimes changes whilst planting... Well done on the new pond plans and the border, keep me updated! Best wishes, Joel
@Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton ahh ours are rehome too. Along with our cat. Well done making a difference. 🐾 I do mutter about small breeds occasionally. 🤣 I will do. I've got a raised planter/ pond that is a few years old. But Fenrir uses it as a water bowl. 💧 🤣
Have been binge watching your videos as am poorly today. 🤣
Hi Joel, new subscriber here. Been binge watching all your videos, getting loads of ideas for improving my garden. Next big job (for me) is a wildlife pond, can't wait. Love what you do, such an inspiration !!
Hello there :) Michelle, your comment sums up 100% the reason that I started this channel 3 years ago. I am so buoyed by everyone's support and knowing that there are more habitats being made. I really appreciate your kind comments and encouragement. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton You're most welcome Joel. I am full of ideas and plans for the garden, just need to get going now 🙂
Hi Joel, that dog rose looks superb! How do you get it to form a shrub like that? What sort of pruning and when?
Hi Nicholas, that rose is about 12 years old now, and possibly not planted by the previous owners. I think you saw the size it can grow to in the video but it was blocking so much light into the meadow and pond area. It's shooting again but won't flower til next year now. I like to see how plants/shrubs fare with no human intervention but this had to be managed - it really was a case of just cutting back the growth to the height you can see. I hope to be able to move it possibly in the autumn so that it can do what it likes, but now a male Wren has made a nest at the base so I'm in two minds again! Hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Cheers Joel, thanks for the reply and insight. This particular video has resonated with me as we’ve got a woodland garden of sorts with lots of mature trees and an old mixed hedgerow at the back. Although we’ve got spring flowers out at the moment, I’ve struggled to find native perennials that will flower throughout the summer and tolerate the shade. I’ve used lots of native ferns for right under the trees, but would welcome recommendations for more diversity and interest. Thanks again.
@@nicholasstevenson5339 Hi Nicholas, you're in luck :) Yesterday I planted and filmed a shady border with perennials and hope to be able to edit and upload real soon, but it should cover what you need. If you wanted to drop me a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com we can recommend a few in the meantime of course - we're happy to advise :) Best wishes, and thank you - Joel 😃
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Even better! I look forward to it, and thanks very much!
Looks amazing. I would love to know where I could get stumps from! Loved your helpers too!
Hi Suzanne, thank you :) Best bet would be your local tree surgeons I think, or even a council wood yard/amenities. You know already, but I don't recommend taking anything that is already providing a natural habitat - I have seen such wonderful architectural specimens when out and about but dare not touch them due to the habitat they're already providing - it would defeat the object etc. But do have a phone around of advertised tree surgeons, gardeners - you never know :) Those helpers were hinderers most of the time, and they foiled my pathetic hope of a barrier! Best wishes, Joel
I love your woodland border. Wow, so many plants in such a small space but it is going to look awesome (already do) and the wildlife are going to love it. You will have some happy frogs as well i'm sure. 13 peanuts!! How does it all fit into the bird's stomach😃
Hi there Charlotte, sorry for the delay! We watched the Jay closely and each and every time it was 12 peanuts stored in his crop and then a 13th one in his beak before he flew away to bury them ready for the winter :) Was so chuffed to see him - the next day he was taking them from the crevices in the wood and I managed to get a few photos from the kitchen window. I've stopped putting the whole nuts out now in case he starts taking them back to young who could possibly choke on them. Autumn and winter I'll start putting the whole ones out again :) Hope you're doing well, best wishes - Joel
Hi Joel. Thanks for the reply. I'm doing great. I'm also cautious about the peanuts.
I wanted to tell you, I rebuilt my one pond and put underlayment on top of the liner as well. (like you always do). The next day a lot of the water in the pond was gone. I realized that the underlayment wicked out the water because it was larger than the plastic liner. I fixed it and now it's perfect. I did not put soil on top of it. Hope that is ok. At least I am protecting the liner from the sun etc. I also made another smaller pond yesterday and got it done in one day. The birds love it and soon after, took a bath. I was very chuffed about that. I am going to make another bigger pond as well, but this time it will be a wildlife pond that you always do. No filters, fountains, or waterfalls. Just natural. ☺ Take care and don't stop teaching us to do better. (Love all your videos)
Are the trees your planning stay short? That is aloot on such small space but I'm sure the birds will enjoy it. Another question was trying to order your book but didn't give me the option to mail it to USA. Thank you for your videos.
Hi there Cisco - I only intend to let the Rowan tree grow as a tree, the rest will be coppiced on a rotation. The book should be available worldwide but if you wanted to send an email to me at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com I can ensure we send one to you and that I sign it (if you would like). Hope this helps, thank you for your support. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton that makes sense, i know birds like woody and forest areas and that will be ideal.. i will be sending you an email. Have an excellent week.
Lovely update on the back garden.
But i thought your pond was bigger, what size is it currently?🤔
Nice to see what you can do in a shady setting.
And to me it looks like the dog-proofing fencing around your border failed😆
Any time you are in there, they just slip underneath the wood to get to you😆
A while ago i indentified a hawthorn in the plot next to our house.
I was sad it didn't flowered, but i guess it was late due to the cold spring.
Because i can now see small white flowers appear from our bathroom window upstairs☺️
That means tons of food for my bird friends in autumn❤️
The birds kindly dropped me a few hawthorn seeds last year or so.
Because i have 3 hawthorn seedlings i will dig up soon🥰
I'm also happy to report that my blue bells on the edge of our back garden are definitely the English version and not the Spanish, Hooray🥳
Hey Titia - you're absolutely right! Two busy rescue dogs, even Sirius appears at one point. They have foiled my fencing plan, but it does give me a few seconds to shout "no!!" at least. That's so good re the Hawthorn and the Bluebells. This was the right move, hey? :) My pond originally had meadow around it, which you can see in the garden tours on the channel. However.... DOGS before the fencing meant that they may have damaged some of the area of the pond. It is holding water, but needed replenishing during winter so it wasn't a good sign. Must say that this is a perfect excuse to make a bigger pond now - the existing one is 3m x 2m or just over and it has been fantastic whilst I trialed the meadow surrounding it. Now for my own garden makeover, just like you :) Best wishes, as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton hi Joel, I only now saw the notification of you replying to my comment🫣 When I watch a youtube video these days, I watch it on the app of our Sony bravia tv because it better on my eyes.
My eyes are getting tired and painful at times when looking at a small smartphone screen for to long. And the tv app sadly doesn't has a notification bell icon.
So if I understand correctly your pond measures 2 by 3 metre, but that puddle that we saw in the video is at the moment smaller then 2 by 3?
Haha, yes, it was the right 'move' to move to this new house with bigger garden😉😄
6+ weeks and so far I already feel way more at ease and at home in this house and area, then in 1+ year in the previous house and area.
In that regard, it was the best, spontanious decision we have made so far.
Happy gardening make over to you to🥳😎
Are you putting in hedgehog highways? The woodland garden looks fabulous 💕
Hi Maureen, I'll show the access/exit points for the hedgehogs in a future video, and the brash pile they use behind the gate at the end of the garden. However, concrete gravel boards either side and neighbours not so wildlife friendly - this just spurs me on ;) But access and exit is all there for them. Thank you so much re the woodland garden, this was filmed between March and April so I can't wait to share what it looks like now - updates to come. Best wishes, Joel
hello, another great video, I have a piece of my garden that I don't know what I want to plant, it's behind the house on the north side, there is a mixed hedge between our garden and the neighbor's, we must not plant trees that will be more than 2 meters, it will also take all the light from those rooms, but right now there is nothing but grass/herbs/moss, so do you have an idea why we can plan there. the soil type is clay, and is 1.8 meters wide from the hedge to the house and 5 meters along the house.
Hi Louise, you can coppice most trees to ensure they don't grow above 2 metres - there is a video on the channel about the best shrubs/small trees to plant. When planting plants in clay you can always dig through some sharp sand first to help with drainage, but I am doing another video on shady area planting and hopefully that'll be on the channel this evening if I manage to get time :) Best wishes, and thanks for your kind words - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thank you, it is not the first thing I will make, a have a pond, a hibernaculum/soil pile/flower meadow in one and som borders. But is is nice to dream, and getting more knowledge about what I can do for wildlife
Are you worried about termites with rotten wood? Where I live (SE US), we get rid of any rotting wood that is relatively close to the house to prevent termites from attacking the house and other structures.
Hi there - we're lucky that we don't "suffer" termites in the UK so we don't have the problem with dead wood, in fact it supports so much wildlife here. Mind you, I think US yards are much larger than ours so it's easier to make these habitats further away from any property :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton yard size in the US depends where you live. I’m in the Houston suburbs, and my backyard is much smaller than yours!
Just what I have been looking for, I have a very similar border and this video has given me all the info I needed. Now going to look on your website for the plants. Is there a list on your website of the plants used? No matter if not will get my notebook and pen out and watch again. Thank you
So pleased this was helpful Pat, I've been doing another shady/semi-shady border today which I've yet to edit/upload etc but hopefully for next Sunday. In the meantime, thank you so much for visiting www.wildyourgarden.com - I think you know already that the growers we use are the very same ones I've been using in my own projects for the last 18 years... it seemed a shame to keep them all to myself ;) Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and thank you again for your support - Joel
How densely can you plant these trees/shrubs?
You're not worried about the trees getting to big and crowded ?
Not in the slightest Sandra :) They will be rotationally coppiced, like a loose hedge for more cover for the sparrows, wrens etc - lots of updates to come on this. Best wishes, Joel
You are planting so close to the fence and the trees/shrubs seem really closely spaced. This experienced gardener is breaking out in hives. What am I missing?
Better than Chelsea show garden and who doesn't need a dog or two "helping".
Thank you Carol, that means a lot! I am not sure if you have seen the interview with the wonderful Chris Baines on this channel - but he created the first ever wildlife garden for Chelsea around 38 years ago now. I understand they're featuring several wildlife gardens this year - but it's Chris Baines that we have to thank for working so hard for so long (and without social media) to encourage people to garden with wildlife in mind. Oh yes, they love to "help", even if I don't ask for it ;) Best wishes, Joel
Keep hearing "tits" 😅😅😅 the wonders of accents and regional speech. Lol.
15:15 you buried that tree way too deep. You should plant at the same level (or even higher in heavy soils) that it was grown to in the pot.
Hi Harvey - it's difficult to see in the time lapse but the Rowan tree had been potted on too high in the nursery, meaning roots were near the top, and meaning planting it deeper was necessary. It's only this tree. I do have a video on how to plant trees as you advise:
czcams.com/video/Oo6S5nImFOw/video.html
Best wishes - Joel